Great Film: blade of the rose
Not so bad, really--
Okay, so it wasn't the best thing ever saved to celluloid, but it is
not so terrible as some reviewers may claim. I was interested in seeing
this film for two reasons: 1) Jaycee made his acting debut and I was
quite curious as to what he could do and 2) Donnie Yen vs. Jackie Chan.
Now, Jaycee has a ways to go yet, certainly... he had, I think, all of
one expression for most of the movie, but he's riding in on dad's
coattails (he's Jackie Chan's son) and it's his debut. I think he may
have potential, he just needs some refining. There were also some
problems within the set itself, i.e., Jackie nearly bowed out because
his son starred in the film and he didn't want to cast any shadows on
his boy's beginning. I'm glad that didn't happen, personally, but I do
admit the anxiously awaited Yen vs. Chan fight was a bit of a
disappointment; it had no real relevance to the movie at all and looks
like the moral struggle Jackie faced (the 'should I even be in this
movie?' problem) reflected here. Jaycee and Jackie are not in the same
scenes and the guest appearance by Jackie ends up seeming more like a
hand out than anything.
The Twins are the Twins- what did you expect? Despite that, I find
myself actually liking these girls, against my better judgment. Daniel
Wu plays the most interesting and tragic character in his usual style.
The premise of the movie? A woman has her heart broken because she
finds her boyfriend and identical twin sister cheating on her. Of
course, the man (played by Wu) had been lied to by the twin and didn't
know he was cheating (think they were just caught kissing, actually),
but that means nothing. The broken-hearted woman magically imprisons
her sister and has the man castrated. They both end up serving her and
aid her rise to power. She becomes ruler of her own city where the men
are enslaved and sold as beasts of burden. Loving relationships between
the sexes are outlawed and it is up to Jaycee's character to free the
city and restore balance and natural relations, where all are equal and
no one sex is subjugated by another. I think he was a 'Chosen One'
type, who's coming had been foretold or some such.
Lots of action, and it's not BAD, just noticeably CGI, which is
distracting. We're used to being 'above' that kind of amateur special
effects works by now. Makes me think the budget was used up by the
starring cast. The movie had its moments, it's worth a rental at least,
but it's not so terrible that it needs to be avoided upon pain of death
as some might have you believe. If nothing else, it's colorful and
lively; just don't expect an epic blockbuster, take the movie with a
grain of salt (it is supposed to be a spoof), and you'll come out all
right.
Cast
- Lord Of Armour played by Jackie Chan
- General Lone played by Donnie Yen
- 13th Young Master played by Charlene Choi
- Blue Bird played by Gillian Chung
- Charcoal Head played by Jaycee Chan
- Peachy played by Edison Chen
- Master Blackwood played by Tony Leung Ka Fai
